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Creative Arts Center

Talent Development in Creative Arts

A place for young artists in Kakuma to train, perform and be seen.

The Creative Arts Center is a youth-led organization in Turkana West, Kenya. Refugee youth from many nationalities and the Turkana host community learn, practise and perform here side by side.

  • Youth-led
  • Open to all nationalities
  • Kakuma, Turkana West
A young gymnast training at the Creative Arts Center
Young performers rehearsing together
A young creative with a camera in Kakuma
Young people practising together at the Creative Arts Center

Too much talent goes unseen

Young people in Kakuma have no shortage of creative ability. What they often lack is regular coaching, proper equipment and an audience to perform for.

A young person’s address should not decide their future. Given guidance and a place to practise, creative talent grows into real skill, and skill opens doors.

A coach guiding young people during a training session

How we support young artists

Classes are only the start. We put together everything a young artist needs to keep improving.

  • Regular coaching

    Hands-on sessions led by experienced coaches and senior peers, with clear steps from beginner to advanced.

  • Mentors who show the way

    Mentors and volunteers share their craft, their discipline and their working habits with young talents.

  • A place to practise

    A dedicated space with the equipment and safety standards each discipline needs.

  • A chance to be seen

    Community events and performances that give young people an audience and the confidence that comes with it.

Choose your craft

Young people pick the track that fits their interests, and can move between tracks as they grow.

  • Young gymnasts training at the Creative Arts Center

    Gymnastics and movement

    Conditioning, tumbling and routines, taught with a firm focus on safety, discipline and teamwork.

  • Young performers rehearsing a routine

    Stage and choreography

    Dance and stage performance that bring young people from different cultures into one team.

  • A young creative editing photos and video

    Photo, video and design

    Practical creative skills so young people can capture, share and grow their own work.

A path that keeps going

From a first session to guiding others, every young person has a next step.

  1. Start

    Open sessions and community events help young people find what they enjoy and do well.

  2. Practise

    Steady coaching builds technique, fitness and discipline.

  3. Perform

    Showcases put new skills in front of a real audience.

  4. Mentor

    Advanced members guide newcomers and help run sessions, so the program grows from within.

What young people take away

  • Skills that last

    Real technique in their chosen craft, built session by session.

  • Confidence

    The self-belief that comes from practising hard and performing in public.

  • Friends from every community

    Refugee and host community youth training side by side.

  • A voice of their own

    The chance to lead sessions and shape what the Center does next.

Smiling young members of the Creative Arts Center

Back a young artist

Share your time, partner with us, or help fund the coaching and equipment that keep this work going.